Percussia is an exhibition of new figurative work by France-Lise McGurn presented at Simon Lee  in London until 22nd February. The show features works on paper, paintings that extend onto the walls of the gallery. These new impressive and unrestrained work immerse the viewer into the artist’s personal, erotic, and physical world. The figures of these paintings emanate a sense of freedom, lightness and elegance which transcend the boundaries of the canvas and the picture plane.

This is the artist’s debut exhibition with the gallery and the first in London since Sleepless, her 2019 solo exhibition at Tate Britain. The exhibition coincides with a major site-specific commission by the artist on view at Tramway in Glasgow. Subsequently, McGurn will also be participating in Glasgow International in April.

The sensual nature of the works on view are echoed in the exhibition’s title Percussia. A derivative of the word percussion, the title suggests power while also references to the lyrical the femininity of the characters that seem to move, pause or dance on the walls.

Images: Exhibition view: France-Lise McGurn, Percussia, Simon Lee Gallery, London (24 January–22 February 2020). Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery. Photo: Ben Westoby and White wine, 2019, Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Galleryy. Photo: Ben Westoby.